In 2022, as we planned our business intelligence education program, New Dimensions, we had the opportunity to establish a strategic partnership with DataCamp, Inc. through its DataCamp Donates program. DataCamp is the leading platform for programming and data science education. Its dynamic and gamified approach allows users to learn programming languages and business intelligence technologies without having to download and install programs on their computers. DataCamp’s “standalone” approach enables users to overcome the common obstacle to learning programming: having a computer powerful enough to run code.

DC Donates is DataCamp’s corporate social responsibility program, focused on promoting data literacy in disadvantaged communities through partnerships with non-profit organizations, such as the Ecuadorian Development Research Lab (LIDE). DataCamp Donates provides premium features of the DataCamp environment, each valued at over 399 USD, to programs and foundations worldwide committed to bridging the technical skills gap in the data industry.

LIDE, aligned with DataCamp Donates' objectives, became its first partner in Ecuador. Thanks to this partnership, since October 2022, we have been able to deliver 55 accounts to New Dimensions program scholars, 15 accounts to low-income university students, and 12 accounts to research interns, totaling 82 accounts. At the launch of the New Dimensions program in March 2023, DataCamp’s Director of Social Impact, Nathaniel Taylor-Leach, congratulated our scholars and officially presented the premium accounts completely free of charge.

Testimonials from our beneficiaries

The New Dimensions program combines remote synchronous learning with internationally recognized data professionals as well as learning with the DataCamp platform. So far, our scholars have leveraged the platform by completing the courses assigned each week. Each course grants a certificate to those who complete it, which has proven to be excellent for their professional development and job search.

We have promoted the use of DataCamp Workspace, an online programming environment that allows for the use of Markdown, R, Python, and SQL to create dynamic data analysis documents. With this tool, we have been able to ensure our students' learning in R and Python, even if they do not have a computer with the necessary hardware requirements for programming.

Angie Yépez, one of the Lab’s scholars, mentions that “DataCamp has been an excellent opportunity to learn more about the importance of data, its use, and the benefits we derive from it. The DataCamp platform is intuitive, easy to use, and motivates us to practice everything we learn in exercises. It also presents real-life cases and contests with the community.”

DataCamp also provides key skills for quantitative academic research, applicable to any learning area. Camila Vallejo, another of our beneficiaries, says DataCamp has been transformative in her academic career. She learned to use data analysis tools like Power BI and R for a project on educational infrastructure and homes without internet access in Quito. Jonathan Panimboza, another beneficiary, mentions that the Python learning he acquired allowed him to deeply analyze his organization’s statistics, CEPEIGE, to optimize its processes and better understand the products it offers.

Data Science Networking for Our Students

DataCamp Donates not only helps in learning of technical tools; it also promotes a holistic approach to professional development to ensure its users can have a range of skills.

As part of our partnership, we were able to provide networking opportunities in the data industry for our students through synchronous meetings. On July 31, 2023, Rogelio Montemayor, senior data analyst at DataCamp, Inc, held a virtual meeting with our New Dimensions scholars. Rogelio has extensive professional and academic experience; he holds an MBA from Stanford and is also professionally certified by DataCamp as a data scientist. Rogelio gave a talk focused on starting a career in the data industry, focusing on the current situation in Latin America and the use of DataCamp’s tools.

Similarly, on August 2, 2023, the director of the New Dimensions program, Alonso Quijano Ruiz, presented some success stories of our New Dimensions scholars in a live webinar with DataCamp. On one hand, María Belen Rosero, was able to get a job after being unemployed due to her pregnancy; she thanked the continuous practice opportunities with DataCamp and said it made a big difference. Additionally, Tamara Quijano thanked DataCamp for the initiative that allowed her to overcome her fear of programming, and she can now apply complex algorithms to her university career in advertising and her newly acquired job in an NGO. These are just some examples of the results obtained with our partnership with DataCamp Donates; you can find the complete list of testimonials from our programs here.

We deeply appreciate DataCamp’s support in our projects, and we are confident that we can continue to make a significant impact on gender equality in the Ecuadorian data industry with their help.